Pastoral Medicine

What is Pastoral Science and Medicine?

Pastoral Science and Medicine (PSM) is the term devised by the Pastoral Medical Association (PMA) to describe the system of natural approaches founded upon spiritual principles used by PSM practitioners for promoting and improving physical, mental and spiritual health. Health improvement results from making positive lifestyle changes and following other natural procedures that are biblically sound, science-based and professionally administered pursuant to acceptable standards of care.

What is the mission of the Pastoral Medical Association?

Simply put, the Pastoral Medical Association’s mission is to promote opportunity for everyone to enjoy lifelong health and well-being. To these ends, PMA provides a regulated means for sincere and spiritually committed healthcare professionals to offer the hundreds of millions of people suffering from chronic illness natural and effective protocols for preserving, restoring and maintaining the vital health and wellness the Creator intended humanity to have.

How is PMA approaching its mission?

The world is facing an escalating epidemic of diverse chronic illnesses, included various autoimmune diseases. Every year, increasing numbers of people suffering from chronic health conditions who have not found relief from conventional medicine and pharmaceutical drugs are seeking help from healthcare providers who offer approaches and modalities that provide a more natural means for restoring health.

Such alternatives may be offered in conjunction with standard allopathic medicine (integrative care) or completely separate from it (alternative care). Unfortunately, there is a lack of uniform regulation of services provided by integrative and alternative practitioners.

The Pastoral Medical Association (PMA) addresses this deficiency by licensing professional healthcare practitioners who share the passion of PMA’s mission to end the epidemic of chronic illness and who are educated and trained in one or more spiritual, mental or physical arts and/or sciences.

All PMA licensees (a) have taken vows of spiritual commitment; (b) meet specific educational requirements; (c) have passed a rigorous background investigation; and (d) agree to abide by and be accountable for conducting themselves in accordance with the high standards of care expected of pastoral practitioners.

How are PMA practitioners different from other healthcare providers?

First and foremost, PMA practitioners have taken a vow to uphold biblical principles when interacting with clients and providing PSM services. PMA practitioners have widely diverse backgrounds, education, training and experience in conventional medicine and alternative healthcare.

Collectively, PSM services provided by PMA licensees represent virtually every known standard and alternative approach, therapy and modality for promoting health and wellness, including spiritual counseling. In addition, many PMA practitioners are licensed by the medical and healthcare licensing authorities in the states in which they offer services pursuant to their state licenses.

However, it is important to note that the PMA license and the healthcare services you may receive from a PMA practitioner are completely separate from and not related to, approved by or dependent upon any secular federal or state governmental licensing authority or any other healthcare license the practitioner may have.

In addition, it is important to understand that PMA licensees do not practice medicine. More specifically, they do not examine, diagnose or treat, or offer to treat or cure or attempt to cure, any mental or physical disease, disorder or illness, or any physical deformity or injury; and PMA licensees do not recommend or prescribe any medications or pharmaceutical drugs.

In contrast, PMA practitioners obtain PMA licensing and offer their services as an alternative to clients suffering from chronic illness and disease who want to take advantage of the PSM system of biblically valid natural approaches and procedures for promoting health and wellness.

Definitions relating to Pastoral Science & Medicine

The following definitions are used to establish the PMA’s term “Pastoral Science & Medicine”.

Pastoral: of or relating to spiritual care or guidance especially of a congregation.

Science: the study of the physical and natural world and phenomena, especially by using systematic observation and experiment.

Medicine: to cure, heal: to make whole: to free from errors and sins, to bring about one's salvation. {This term is derived from the KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon word “ijavomai”, transliterated to “Iaomai”, listed and defined in Strong’s Concordance as word #2390.}

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DISCLAIMER

This healthcare practice is based on a ministerial license issued by the Pastoral Medical Association (PMA). The titles PSc.D and D.PSc referenced on this website relate to practitioner’s PMA license, and not to any state license authority. PMA licensees do not practice medicine. More specifically, they do not examine, diagnose or treat, or offer to treat or cure or attempt to cure, any mental or physical disease, disorder or illness, or any physical deformity or injury. Also, PMA licensees do not recommend or prescribe any medications or pharmaceutical drugs.